Benzinga | Jul 7, 2021 11:47AM EDT

WHO Recommends IL-6 Drugs From Sanofi, Roche For Critically-Ill COVID-19 Patients

* The World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed Interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor antagonists combined with corticosteroids to treat severe COVID-19 cases.

* Patients severely or critically ill with COVID-19 often suffer from an overreaction of the immune system. IL-6 blocking drugs Roche Holding AG's (OTC:RHHBY) Actemra (tocilizumab) and Sanofi SA's (NASDAQ:SNY) Kevzara (sarilumab) act to suppress this overreaction, WHO said.

* Severely ill patients who took either drug in addition to corticosteroids saw their risk of death reduced by 13% compared with standard of care, the WHO said, and their risk of progressing to mechanical ventilation by 28%.

* The analysis came from 10,930 patients across 28 countries, with about 59% receiving the IL-6 drugs.

* "These drugs offer hope for patients and families who are suffering from the devastating impact of severe and critical COVID-19. But IL-6 receptor blockers remain inaccessible and unaffordable for the majority of the world," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement.

* Tuesday's move comes a few weeks after the FDA authorized Actemra for emergency use in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

* The list price of Actemra is about $2,300 per dose, and Kevzara's U.S. list price is approximately $1,830 per dose, reports Wall Street Journal, citing the companies' respective spokespersons.

* Price Action: SNY shares are down 0.06% at $51.40, while RHHBY shares are up 0.23% at $47.93 during the market session on the last check Wednesday.

* Photo: Wikimedia Commons